Mold ejection assemblable two-piece cap

ABSTRACT

A two-piece container closure which can be opened to form a dispenser. The closure includes a fixed part and a movable part which operates with the fixed part to open and close the dispenser. The fixed part top wall is provided with an opening and a skirt member downwardly directed from the peripheral area of the opening. The skirt member includes a plurality of downwardly, inwardly directed, spaced, separate flexible flanges. The movable part includes a valve member which comprises an imperforate base and sidewalls downwardly positioned from the top wall which are inwardly directed and provided with at least one dispensing opening. The movable part is positioned within the top wall opening for movement relative to the fixed part and so that the opening in the valve sidewalls will register with the spaces between the flanges in the dispensing position. The flanges are flexed downwardly by the valve member when the valve member is retained within the top wall opening. The downwardly flexed flanges are biased upwardly causing an intimate face contact between the valve member sidewalls and the flexible flanges.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Jack V. Croyle v Woonsocket, RJ.

[21] Appl. No. 833,827

[22] Filed Jan. 23, 1969 Division of Ser. No. 541,202, April 8, 1966,Pat. No. 3,461,488

[45] Patented Mar. 16, 1971 [73] Assignee Dart Industries Inc.

Los Angeles, Calif.

['54] MOLD EJECTION ASSEMBLABLE TWO-PIECE 2,545,350 3/1951 Fuld 532,990l/l895 Rau ABSTRACT: A two-piece container closure which can be openedto form a dispenser. The closure includes a fixed part and a movablepart which operates with the fixed part to open and close the dispenser.The fixed part top wall is provided with an opening and a skirt memberdownwardly directed from the peripheral area of the opening. The skirtmember includes a plurality of downwardly, inwardly directed, spaced,separate flexible flanges. The movable part includes a valve memberwhich comprises an imperforate base and sidewalls downwardly positionedfrom the top wall which are inwardly directed and provided with at leastone dispensing opening. The movable part is positioned within the topwall opening for movement relative to the fixed part and so that theopening in the valve sidewalls will register with the spaces between theflanges in the dispensing position. The flanges are flexed downwardly bythe valve member when the valve member is retained within the top wallopening. The downwardly flexed flanges are biased upwardly causing anintimate face contact between the valve member sidewalls and theflexible flanges.

MULD EJECTKON ASSEMBLLE TWO-PIECE CAP This is a division of copendingapplication Ser. No. 541,202 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,488 issued Aug. 19,1969.

This invention relates to dispensing containers and more particularly toa two piece dispensing closure therefor. More specifically, theinvention relates to a two-piece dispensing closure wherein one portionthereof is fixedly placed in rela tionship to the container and theother portion thereof is free to move relative thereto from an opendispensing position to a closed nondispensing position.

it is desirable that dispensing closures for fluid substances, such asfree-flowing solids and liquids including detergents and the like, beeasily manipulated from an open dispensing position to a closednondispensing or sealing position and that such actuating movement beobvious and simple to the ultimate user. As such dispensing closures areprimarily used in conjunction with throw-away containers, a furtherimportant factor is that such must be relatively inexpensive in order togain widespread use. One of the major contributing factors to increasedcost of such closures is the mechanical assembling procedures that mustbe carried out thereupon to place such in operating condition.

l-lithertobefore mechanical assembly of component dispensing closureportions, notwithstanding the highly sophisticated machinery used inthis regard and the highly developed state of the art in general, hasbeen time-consuming and costly through the necessity of at least oneadditional secondary operation. The present invention, however,contemplates the assemblage of the component parts of the present novelclosure construction within the mold itself upon the opening andejection cycles thereof in such a manner that no increase in the moldingcycle of the closure is necessitated and the use of a secondaryoperation to assemble the closure is obviated.

With the above comments and other objects in view that will hereinafterappear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood byreference to the following detailed description, the appended claims andthe several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts.

in the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the two-piece fluid dispensing containerclosure of the present invention shown in its assembled position;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the closure shown in FIG. 1with portions broken away for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the closure taken along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1 and shows the path of flow of fluid from the container area whensuch closure is in its open dispensing position;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the closure shown in FIGS. 1 and 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the assembledclosure showing the attachment portions thereof in greater detail.

Reference is now made to the drawings in detail and particularlyFIGS. 1. through 5 thereof wherein a two-piece fluid dispensingcontainer closure of novel construction is illustrated and referred toby the reference numeral It). Such closure comprises a fixed part 11 anda movable part'12 which is assembled therewith for relative movementthereto in a nonlongitudinal direction so as to be alternativelypositionable from a closed nondispensing position to an open dispensingposition. While'the movable part 12 in the drawings is shown inassembled position with the fixed part 11 so as to permit rotationalmovement thereto, it should be brought out that other movement such asnonlongitudinal slide motion or the like is equally acceptable and thatthe rotational aspect depicted in the drawing is for illustrativepurposes only.

The fixed part ll may be integral with a fluid container or separable asillustrated and may have a top wall portion 13 with downwardly dependingsidewalls l4 integral therewith. The sidewalls may be internallyprovided with screw threads 15 or other equivalent means for attachmentto the neck of a conventional container and further be provided withsealing fins 16 or their like. The top wall is further provided with anopening 17 therethrough which has been illustratively shown as circularin the drawings to permit the rotational movement of the movable part 12as contemplated; but as hereinbefore stated, the opening could be ofother regular geometric configuration such as a rectangular slot whereinthe relative movement of the movable part to the fixed part would be alateral slide rather than rotation.

The top wall 13 is further provided about the periphery of the opening17 therethrough with a slotted skirt member 18 extending downwardly andpreferably inwardly from the inner side of such top wall 13 so as to bepositioned inwardly of the peripheral extent of the opening at its lowerterminus. Such slotted skirt member 18 is generally comprised of two ormore downwardly inwardly extending flanges 19 separated from each otherby slotted portions 20. The top wall 13 of the fixed part 11 is furtherprovided with holding means 21 located around the periphery of theopening 17 in such a manner as to captively hold the movable part infixed longitudinal relationship thereto after the two components areassembled in a manner as will hereinafter be more clearly brought out.Such holding means 21 is shown by a circumferential bead 22 whichinwardly extends into the opening 17 from the peripheral portionsthereof and which is preferably provided with a gently sloped upperportion 23 to provide a lead-in for the assembling of the movableportions therewith in a cutaway area 24 positioned downwardly adjacentthereto.

The movable part 12 is comprised of a fluid dispensing portion 25, avalve member 26 and attachment means 27. The attachment means 27 permitsthe movable part to be assembled to the fixed part in such a manner topermit relative movement therewith to opening and closing positions and,furthermore, to prevent relative longitudinal motion thereto and maycomprise in part, as shown, a groove 28 at the outer periphery of themovable part at the junction of its fluid dispensingportion 25 and itsvalve member 26. A fluid dispensing portion 25 may take a generallycylindrical configuration and is preferably provided at the otherportion of its walls 29 with grooves or flutes 30 as a means by whichthe movable part may be grasped by the user of the device. The valvemember 26 of the movable part generally extends entirely beneath the topwall 13 of the fixed part and is provided withsidewalls 31 adapted forintimate engagement with the flanges 19 of the skirt 18. The sidewalls3i terminate in a base portion 32 which is imperforate and imparts tothe valve member 26 a general overall appearance of a truncated cone.The sidewalls 31 are further provided with at least one openingtherethrough which is preferably orientated longitudinally thereof. Inthis manner then the intimate engagement of the valve member 26 with theskirt 18 when the openings 33 of the sidewalls are covered by theflanges 19 of the skirt 13 provides a nondispensing closed position ofthe closure member 10 so as to confine fluid within the container. itmay be seen that upon rotation of the mova ble part 12 in such a mannerso as to at least partially align the openings 33 with the slots 20 ofthe skirt 1%, an alternate open fluid dispensing position may beobtained. In this manner, by the relative movement of the movable part12 in regard to the fixed part 11, alternate open and closed positionsmay be obtained for desired access to closure of the container.

I claim:

1. A two-piece fluid dispensing container closure compris: ing; a fixedpart in fluid sealing disposition with the contents retaining portion ofsaid container said fixed part having a top wall, and a movable partoperable with said fixed part to open dispensing and closed sealingpositions, staid top wall having.

an opening therethrough and a skirt member extending downwardly from theperipheral area of said opening, said skirt member comprising aplurality of downwardly, inwardly directed, spaced, separate flexibleflanges, said movable part being positioned within said top wall.opening for movement relative to said top wall, said movable part havinga valve member including an imperforate base and sidewalls,

downwardly positioned from said top wall and inwardly directed, saidsidewalls being provided with at least one dispensing opening, saidopening registering with at least one of the spaces between said flangesin the dispensing position, said flanges being in intimate face contactwith said valve member sidewalls so that movement of said valve membercan align one of the spaces between said flanges and said sidewallopening in a dispensing position, and misalign said spaces and saidopening in a closed position and means for operatively retaining saidsidewalls and said flanges in said intimate contact.

2. The container closure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said top wallopening is circular, said movable part having a generally cylindricalfluid dispensing portion positioned generally outwardly of said top walland wherein said retaining means is provided at the inner periphery ofsaid top wall opening and at the outer periphery of said movable partintermediate said dispensing and valve portions thereof.

3. The container closure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retainingmeans comprises a bead inwardly extending from the periphery of said topwall opening and a mating groove therefor along the periphery of saidmovable part, said bead forming a gently downwardly inwardly slopedcontinuation of said top wall adjacent said top wall opening.

1. A two-piece fluid dispensing container closure comprising; a fixedpart in fluid sealing disposition with the contents retaining portion ofsaid container said fixed part having a top wall, and a movable partoperable with said fixed part to open dispensing and closed sealingpositions, staid top wall having an opening therethrough and a skirtmember extending downwardly from the peripheral area of said opening,said skirt member comprising a plurality of downwardly, inwardlydirected, spaced, separate flexible flanges, said movable part beingpositioned within said top wall opening for movement relative to saidtop wall, said movable part having a valve member including animperforate base and sidewalls, downwardly positioned from said top walland inwardly directed, said sidewalls being provided with at least onedispensing opening, said opening registering with at least one of thespaces between said flanges in the dispensing position, said flangesbeing in intimate face contact with said valve member sidewalls so thatmovement of said valve member can align one of the spaces between saidflanges and said sidewall opening in a dispensing position, and misalignsaid spaces and said opening in a closed position and means foroperatively retaining said sidewalls and said flanges in said intimatecontact.
 2. The container closure as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidtop wall opening is circular, said movable part having a generallycylindrical fluid dispensing portion positioned generally outwardly ofsaid top wall and wherein said retaining means is provided at the innerperiphery of said top wall opening and at the outer periphery of saidmovable part intermediate said dispensing and valve portions thereof. 3.The container closure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retainingmeans comprises a bead inwardly extending from the periphery of said topwall opening and a mating groove therefor along the periphery of saidmovable part, said bead forming a gently downwardly inwardly slopedcontinuation of said top wall adjacent said top wall opening.